Epilogue
Littlemoon Investigations
Sunday Morning
The Next Day
The Aftermath
It had been a long night for most of them. For Honor and Josh, they’d taken one for the team and took the call. It seemed that there was a double homicide at the Vanderbilt mansion where someone had been shot and killed.
Oh, and someone had bled out on the floor in some ritual, wackadoo killing.
Crazy.
They were calling it a witch circle gone wrong, and unfortunately for Bodhi’s backup ME, he was calling it a long night with two more autopsies.
There was truly no rest for the wicked.
Also, they weren’t the only ones who had a long night.
Bishop had too.
For the hours that followed, she stayed by her husband, refusing to let go of him.
This had been too close, and she wasn’t letting him out of her sight. So, Lucian got them home, and in the safety of their house, he closed their bedroom door, and slept between Ridge and Bishop.
The nightmares had been in full swing, and no one slept well.
But they were all alive.
That was a win.
For now.
Thanks to the dead, no one else had died in their family, and it looked like no one else would. That was a small relief, and it allowed them to regroup.
For what?
Meeting time.
Julian had called a Sunday meeting, and the family had been able to come out of lockdown.
EVERYONE.
From Pryce to Arsen, they all showed up when the call went out, grateful to have their dead back.
Oh, and the dead were grateful, too.
Julian not only gave them the accolades they deserved, he went outside with a can of spray paint, and reserved a whole spot for the dead. In it, he wrote their names.
‘Trey
Bethany
Jake
Mary Ann
Mary Beth.’
It seemed like the least he could do.
After all, they’d reached into Hell and pulled first Ridge, and then Lucian out, knowing that the darkness could have grabbed them, and taken them down.
They were heroes.
This could have ended so differently.
Out of all the psychics there, Oracle and Beckett had lost their gifts, but not their lives.
So, it was a win for them.
Now, it was time to say goodbye, but probably not forever. Lucian knew his once family pretty well.
“What will you do now?” Lucian asked, as he stood there holding both Bishop and Ridge’s hands, connecting them together because they all needed it.
A very blind Avalon shrugged.
“I mean, you still have your gift. You know the static, and you know what I did. You could come home and take over now that I’m out of the game. That is an option.”
Beside him, both Ridge and Bishop tensed.
Oh, and he knew why.
Yeah, it wasn’t an option.
“Actually, I thought about it while I wasn’t sleeping much last night. I had time to consider what you’re offering.”
Everyone there held their breaths, specifically the family who knew they could lose him too.
With Oracle’s power gone, Lucian was the next strongest Psychic on Earth.
“I’m not leaving. I said it once, and I meant it.
We are home, and while I love you, Avi, and Nate, home is where the heart is, and this is my heart.
I’m sorry that Oracle is gone, but I’m no one’s oracle.
Lucifer maybe. Lucian definitely. My place is in the static but not doing what you do.
I have people to save here. Maybe another time, and another reincarnation,” he joked.
She smiled.
Oh, he didn’t know how accurate that might be.
“Alas, Lucian, the student has become the teacher. I assumed as much.”
He kissed both sets of knuckles to the two people he adored. They had a lot to rebuild, and that would take time, and he wanted to be there to do it. Now that the darkness was gone, once and for all, they all had to move on.
And heal.
“Who me?” Lucian joked. “This old dog has a few more tricks to learn.”
He hoped.
Avalon understood.
“I figured as much. I’ll be here for the next Oracle to be trained. I’m still up to bat,” she admitted.
Bishop lifted a brow.
“You found someone to take that shit job?” she asked.
Immediately, Genesis laughed.
“Uh, she’s right here,” she stated, raising her hand.
Honestly, the family was surprised. So, she opted to explain to them.
“Josh and I were talking. California is a nice state, and honestly, Avalon protected me all those years. Someone needs to protect her too now that she’s blind…blinder.”
Someone cleared their throat.
When they looked over, Brianna and Laird raised their hands.
“We’re going with them,” he stated. “We wanted to travel, and we wanted an adventure,” he admitted. “So, if Avalon and Genesis will have us, we’d like to join them. We know a few tricks too.”
Lucian wasn’t surprised.
“I’ll miss you guys,” he stated.
Brianna hugged them both.
“And we’ll miss you, but we found each other because of Oracle, and she needs us now. Well, the new Oracle does.”
Julian was curious.
“So, are The Phoenix Files back open?” he asked, believing that was what they kept calling them.
Nate laughed.
“What?” Julian asked.
Reaching into his messenger bag, he pulled a file out, and on the front, there was a phoenix, but on the tab, it said one thing.
‘The Littlemoons.’
“The files never closed,” he stated. “Congrats. You were just Oracled. You guys, like I said, were the biggest file,” he admitted, pointing to ALL the psychics in the room.
Tori laughed.
How could she not?
It seemed they’d made history in a way they never expected, and none of them really minded.
“Don’t worry, Julian,” Nate reassured him. “We won’t tell anyone about your gifts. Your secrets are safe with us.”
Oh, well, he hoped so.
“Ready?” Nate asked. “It’s a long trip to California, and I’m not driving the whole way. Josh, get a nap while you can. You too, Laird.”
Well, that said it all.
They all took turns hugging the people, and when Avalon reached Lucian, she took his face in her hands. Oh, she couldn’t see him, but she knew the man well.
“We love you, and if you ever need us, call Genesis. We’ll come help.”
He kissed her on the forehead.
“I’m going to miss you, Avi, but I’m never calling. It’s time we went our separate ways. The static is big. Keep Genesis on her side. We both have jobs to do.”
She laughed.
The irony was, the kingdom was technically his. Genesis was strong, but not Lucian strong. He’d proved that. Fate had a funny way of changing things.
“Message received. Oh, and Lucian?”
Whispering in his ear, a look passed across his face, and in it, there was something.
The mantle was far from passed.
This was far from over.
The past could absolutely change the future.
And it would.
And with that, the woman set him free, and Nate tucked her into his side to help her find her way out of there.
Both Julian and Lucian escorted them to the door, and when they were gone, Julian was curious.
“Did you consider leaving at all? Because Ridge would have followed. We know what you said, but…being the next Oracle had to have some pull.”
It did, but not enough.
Not for him.
Bishop wanted to stay, and a happy wife was a damn happy life.
“No. This is my home. This is my family. Salem is ours, and we do good work here, Jules. I’m not leaving my brother from another mother.”
That made him laugh.
Lovingly, Julian wrapped his arm around his waist.
“It’s weird you’re sleeping with two people,” he said. “That’s one hell of a kink.”
He laughed.
“It’s weird you love when Trey busts your ass, and you pretend you hate it, but you miss him when he’s gone. When are you going to tell him that you missed him?”
Julian looked appalled.
“Shhhhhh! That’s something I’m taking to my grave,” he said, as they walked past the fax machine.
And it turned on.
From Julian’s phone, he heard the man’s voice.
“I. HEARD. THAT. YOU. MISSED. ME. DID. YOU. CRY? DID. YOU. NEED. A. DIAPER. CHANGING. YOU. BIG. BABY?”
Lucian laughed.
How could he not?
Julian just rolled his eyes, but he didn’t have the irritation there now.
Because the dead had saved their asses.
For.
Sure.
“Thanks, you sicced him on me.”
Lucian grinned.
“You were thinking a little too much about me banging a dude. That was payback.”
Julian opened his mouth, but Trey beat him to it.
“JULIAN. LIKES. RICHARD! I. KNEW. IT! JULIAN. LIKES. RICHARD. BIG. RICHARD. SMALL. RICHARD. ALL. THE. RICHARD!”
“TREY!”
They all laughed.
It looks like the family survived, no one died, but Wynter, and they would fight another day.
THANK.
GOD.
“Everyone, head home. We’re staying closed tomorrow,” Julian admitted. “It was a long freaking week!”
There were cheers, and no one was going to argue that. Julian NEVER closed the office.
Ever.
The rats bailed from the ship, and no one blamed them. When it was just the core few of them left, Julian noticed his sister was still there.
“Uh, you want to work?” he asked Lianna.
That’s when they heard the horn honking.
“Hell no! That’s for me,” she said, brushing off her skirt and tossing her hair over her shoulder.
“Uh, where are you going?” Julian asked.
Lianna walked by, smiling.
“I got a call this morning from Trent.”
Julian closed his eyes.
“Please don’t take another case from him until I get a nap,” he stated.
That made her laugh.
“It’s not work-related. I have a Sunday brunch date with him. He asked me out. Apparently, he thinks I’m pretty.”
Julian stared.
“With a defense attorney?” he said, along with Bishop, who knew that wasn’t going to end well.
She winked.
“Yes. Connor is babysitting for me. Don’t wait up, Dad,” she joked. “If his house is a rocking, don’t come a knocking.”
Well, shit.
Trent’s mother was NOT going to be happy.
Bet on that.
Instead of saying anything, Julian watched her leave.
“Why do I feel like she’s going to marry him, and now I’m going to have an attorney brother-in-law that annoys the fuck out of my cop sister-in-law at all the family functions?”
Bishop just laughed.
“I mean, that’s about your luck.”
Yeah, tell him about it.
Only, Julian was feeling pretty damn happy.
Why?
Well, Lianna being boy crazy was the most normal thing in their lives.
That he could work around.
The bottom line was that the Littlemoons were going to keep on littlemooning.
One case at a time.
Until the end.
* * * L I T T L E M O O N * * *
Four Months Later